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Michigan's AmeriCorps Site Supervisor of the Month

Meghan Zyburski’s passion for youth development blossomed during her time at Grand Valley State University when she studied abroad in Ghana. There, she worked at the Department of Social Welfare in Cape Coast serving children in day care centers, orphanages, and schools. Meghan is currently employed with Playworks, where she began working in 2016 as a Program Coordinator in Detroit Public Schools. She was then promoted to Program Associate and now recently promoted to Program Manager.

Playworks’ mission is to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.​ Today, Playworks is the leading national nonprofit leveraging the power of play to transform children’s social and emotional health. Playworks AmeriCorps members (called “coaches”) are placed in low-income schools in Detroit. These coaches utilize play to create supportive environments with reduced bullying where all students feel safe, supported, and fully engaged. The goal is to increase students’ overall academic engagement.

As Program Manager, Meghan manages a team of AmeriCorps member coaches, working closely with them, supporting program implementation, and ensuring grant compliance. These tasks require a high level of organization, attention to detail, and strong management and communication skills. Meghan schedules regular check-ins both individually and collectively with the coaches, constantly gauging their progress with the program. Whether communication is shared in-person or through the digital space, she extends a helping hand in whatever manner she can.

“Meghan brings all her amazing experience to Playworks and the coaches she leads,” stated AmeriCorps member LaToya Colts. “She empowers me to hone and develop my skills to become a better version of myself. Meghan always has a positive spirit and her career embodies the AmeriCorps values and goals. If you saw her planner, you’d know she gets things done! She sees strengths in others and helps them use that to create more opportunity. I aspire to create a meaningful career in this field, and to know I have someone to help me along the way makes it that much more worth it!”

For more information about the Playworks AmeriCorps program, click here. For more information about AmeriCorps, go to www.americorps.gov.